Typewriter attachment for manifolding



Dec. 29, 1942. R. J. COPELAND 2,306,616

' TYPEWRITER ATTACHMENT FOR MANIFOLDING Filed June 21, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 29, 1942.

R. J.- COPELAND TYPEWRITER ATTACHMENT FOR MANIFOLDING 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 21, 1940 I rn en tor. Ruhr-f .lCo ve/andi Dec. 29, 1942. R. J. COPELAND TYPEWRITER ATTACHMENT FOR MANIFOLDING Filed June 21, 1940 4 Sheets-SheetS Dec. 29, 1942.. R. J. COPELAND 6,

TYPEWRITER ATTACHMENT FOR MANIFQLDING Filed Jufie 21, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Irn en lar. R066? JCope/andl Patented nee. 29, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT mawarrsn MANIFOLDING OFFICE mes-s. Copeland, Toronto, Ontario, Canada -Applicatlon 1 0laim.

The principal obiects of this invention are to greatly facilitate the work and cost in connection with duplicate billing. and to provide a simple and inexpensive form of device for this purpose capable of being readily attached to a standard typewriter carriage.

- A further and important object is to eliminatethe necessity of individually inserting and remove ing the original and duplicator sheets andimpression transfer medium to enable the operation to be carried out in a continuous and efficient manner without soiling of the operator's fingers and smudging of the original sheets. U

The principal features of the invention reside in the novel construction and arrangements of parts whereby a special duplicator carbon or the like is supplied in a substantially automatic manner to the platen in conjunction with origi:

.nal and duplicating record sheets of continuous strip form, the arrangement being such that a negative impression of the typing is retained on the duplicate sheets from which numerous copies may then be produced on a duplicator machine.

A further and important feature resides in,

the novel provision of a guide plate which is independently supported on a guideway for movement in unison with the travel of the typewriter carriage and having a holder supported thereon for containing a supply of continuous interfolded sheets whichare directed over the plate to the platen of the typewriter minimizing buckling of the continuous strips of sheets and ensuring more platen.

Further and important accurate guiding thereof to the features will be apparent in the following description.

In the drawings Figure -1 is a perspective view of a device constructed in'accordance with the present invention and showing its co-operative relation to the continuous original and negative impression sheets and special carbon sheet.

Figure 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic part sectional side elevational view of the attachment device mounted in co-operative association with a typewriter platen.

une :1, 1m. SerIalNo. 341,820

July, 1939 (or. 197-120) I one of the. rotatable spindles for supporting the continuous special carbon sheet.

Figure 6 is a perspective detail in contracted formof a locking member for connecting the special carbon sheet with the spindle.

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the completed original invoice and the negatively impressed duplicator sheet after separation from' the continuous strip.

' view of theapparatus shown in Figure 11.

In billing or manifold work where an original typed sheet is required and a number of copies.

it has been the practice to employ a special carbon sheet known to the trade as Hectogra which was required to be placed with its treated I face in ,contact withthe back of the original so that during the typing operation, the typed matter was negatively impressed on the undersurface of the original which was then used-in connection with a duplicator machine in order-to Z print the required number of'positive copies from the negatively impressed surface of the original.

The use of the original in this capacity is objectionable not only because it carries a printed impression on the reverse side but also because it invariably becomes smudg'ed during the process; and in many cases is rendered'unflt for its intended purpose.

The present invention has been devised to eliminate the necessity of employing the original as a transfer or duplicating medium so that it can be taken fresh from the typewriter and forwarded immediately if desired, while a sep- Figure 31s a perspective view of, the device shown in Figure 2. v

Figure 4 is a miniature side elevational view of the complete assembly in co-operative relationto atypewriter. v

Figure 5 is a part sectional elevational view on an enlarged scale and broken away in part of arate negatively impressed sheet, which may be of plain or unprinted character, will be retained. from which the required duplicate copies are made. I a

The present invention furthereliminates the necessity of the operator's fingers coming in contact with the treated surface of the special carbon sheet which is a frequent source ofsmudging of the original according to present practice.

In accordance with the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 7, a plate I of light sheet metal is provided which is bent intermediate of its length to present an inclined plane portion 2 and a substantially horizontal plane portion 3. This plate is adapted to be connected at its lower edge to a suitable portion of the carriage 4 or a typewriter 5 by means of suitable clip members I such as employed in connection with my United States Patent 2,070,042, gran February 9, 1987.

A-roller support I similar to that used in the said patent is here shown contacting the underside of the plate portion 3 to support the same while permitting freedom of movement of the ate. A pair of brackets 9 and ID are secured to the plate portion 2 at opposite sides and between these brackets are rotatably supported in spaced relation a pair of spindles II and I2. The rotatable support of one end of the spindles in the bracket I is accomplished by a pair of stub shafts l3 and I4 provided with centering pin projections I! as indicated in Figure 5 and also provided with a projecting pin drive extension ii for non-rotative locking engagement with a notch H in the spindle.

The stub shaft or spindle ll carries a pulley l8 adapted to be hand rotated by acrank I! and a suitable belt or the like 20 is adapted to form a driving connection with the stub shaft ll of spindle l2 through a pulley 2| mounted on the latter shaft for a purpose hereinafter referred to.

Retractible pivot supports 22 and 23 mounted in the bracket 9 have pin bearing projections 24 (Figure 5) for centering and bearing contact with the axial bearing recess 25 of the spindle, bearing engagement being normally maintained by inward pressure of the spring element 26.

A supply of special carbon paper, which may be of the type referred to and known to the trade as Hectograph and represented at 21, is adapted to be rolled on the spindle II in such a manner that when it is passed under the platen 20 of the typewriter and upwardly at the forward side thereof, the special treated or carbon surface thereof will beoutermost, that is, on the side which is not contacted by the platen. The advance end of the special carbon strip 21 is adapted to be anchored to the spindl l2 and a suitable means for accomplishing this is here shown in theform of an elongated V-shaped retainer 28' which is adapted to be pressed into an elongated slot 29 in the spindle to retain the end of the carbon strip therein and a similar locking arrangement may be provided vin connection with the spindle II.

A pair of holders 30 and ii are here shown supported in a stepped arrangement, one above and rearwardly of the other at a suitable distance rearwardly of the typewriter.

. duplicator machine in a well known manner for producing the desired'number of copies from.

The plate 3 is here shown provided with a there- The holder 30 is adapted to support a pack 32 of continu-- ascetic guide member I! through which the continuous strips of sheets II and it are threaded with the former sheets uppermost so that as the respective sets of sheets are advanced downwardly over the incline plate 2 .and about the platen 2!, the plain or duplicator sheets II will directly overlie the specially treated surface of the carbon sheet 21 below the original invoice or record sheets II.

In this way the original invoice will receive the direct impression from the typewriter and there will be simultaneously impressed on the rearward side of the duplicator sheets ll a negative impression of the typed matter.

It will be further observed that the sheets 3|, being interpom' between the special carbon sheet 21 and the originals, will act as a desirable separating medium to prevent smudging or undesired marking of the reverse side of the original, and moreover the original will be free of any typed impressions on the reverse side thereof.

When 'the typing of each invoice has been completed the mating sheets a and 35 may be advanced until .the transverse line of severance 31 has been raised clear of the platen which may be sufficiently far to properly position the next adjacent sheet for typing and the typed sheets may then be readily detached along the line 31, this detachment being further facilitated by the rounded or notched entry 3,8 provided at the end of the line of severance 31. I

As the typing proceeds and the strips are advanced about the platen the continuous strip 21 will not only be unwound from the spindle H but will be continuously rewound on'the spindle i2 by reason of the drive connection 20 previously referred to.

When the supply of the carbon sheet 21 has been exhausted from the spindle H and wound on the spindle l2 it is a very simple matter to rotate the spindle II by the hand crank it to rewind the carbon sheet. g

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 8 to 12, a supporting frame 39 is provided in the form of parallelly-spaced rods or bars having upright portions 40 vertically adjustable in supporting brackets 4| where they are secured by clamping means 42.

The horizontal portions 43 of the bars 30 have transversely extending guideways 44 and 45 secured thereto in parallelly-spaced relation.

A plate member 3 has a portion horizontally overlying the guideways 44 and 45 and provided with spaced sets of guide rollers 48 on the underside engaging in rolling and guiding contact between the flanges of the guideways. The plate 3' has its forward portion sloping angularly' downward to provide an inclined area-2.

A rod 41 is rotatably mounted in brackets 48 end of the rod 5| being turned into right-angular relation to parallel the rod 41 as indicated at 53 in order to slidably engage suitable surfaces.

of the typewriter carriage 4'. Thus by suitable adjustments of the clamped relation 01' the bars .5! to the rod 41 and to the carriage, the plate 3 may be made to travel with the typewriter carriage in its longitudinal travel with little or no loss of motion, while at the same time, the pivoting of the rod 41 in its plate brackets will permit the carriage to be raised and lowered in the normal, typing operations without any material lifting thrust on the plate, this being further facilitated by providing suitable freedom of movement at the ends of the rods 5|.

A holder 55 for the interfolded original and copy sheets33 and 35 is suspended from the rearward portion of the plate 3' so that it angularly underhangs the carriage, the rearward edge portion of the plate being provided with a downwardly rounded lip 3" to permit the continuous strips to move smoothly thereover in being drawn from' the pack 55 supported in the holder 55.

Referring now particularly to the structure l shown in Figures 8 to 10, the plate 3' is provided with inturned lugs 51 and 58 arranged adjacent the rear and front edges in order to engage the edges of the continuous strips 33 and 35 to guide the strips accurately to the platen 28 of the typewriter.

The roller-supporting brackets 9' and iii are here shown secured to the plate 3' substantially midway between the front and rear edges directly above the carriage support of the plate so terial so that the operator may grasp the por-' tion 60 to manipulate the active portion 59 without any possibility of soiling the fingers. This further effects an economy.

A guiding and supporting strip 36' is looped over the rearward edge portion of the plate 3' and supports a spring-retum device 5| which may be of the type set forth in my earlier patent referred to herein.

A length of tape 62 or other suitable flexible material is adapted to be drawn outwardly against the tension of the spring-retum device BI and carries a clip 63 which is adapted to releasably grip the extension of the special carbon sheet 59 to effect theretraction thereof as will hereinafter appear.

- A slotted folding strip 64 is pivotally mounted on the supporting member 36 and conforms substantially to the contour of the plate 3', a stop member being adjustably mounted in the slot of the strip and adapted to be clamped in any desired position by the clamping means 65. The clip member 53 carries a finger portion 63' which is adapted to engage the stop member 65 on the retum' movement of the tape to arrest the same with the special carbon sheet 59 in predetermined relation to the platen preferably with the lower edge thereof in substantial register with the advance edge of the sheets 33 and 35.

Thus on the typing of the various items on the original sheet the secondary or duplicator sheet 35 will receive from the special sheet 59 a negative impression of the typing in a manner similar to that defined in connection with the use of the rolled strip 21.

When the typing has been completed and the original and duplicator sheets advanced to the point where they may be readily severed by tearing along-the line 31, the release of the platen tension devices of the typewriter will permit the spring tension device 6| to return the special carbon or Hectograph sheet 59 back to its original point of commencement as determined by the 7 stop 65 and the sheets 33 and 35 may be torn off and typing commenced on the next adjacent set of sheets. I

It will be apparent that with the forms of the invention defined it will not be necessary for an operator to handle the actual carbon strip 21 or the carbon sheet 59 so that undesirable marking of the typed sheets by smudge deposits from the fingers due to contacting of the carbon sheet will be definitely avoided.

The duplicator sheets 35 are here shown provided with finger notchesG'l, preferably leading from the line of severance which will facilitate ready separation of the detached sheets 33 and I am aware that sheets in continuous strip I form are now in extensive use for the making of originals and the direct impressing of positive carbon copies, but so far as I am aware it has not previously been proposed to utilize a continuous strip supply in connection with the production of originals and simultaneous duplication of a separate master negative copy for subsequent reuse independent of the original as a duplicating medium. a

The present invention is of simple form, eliminatingthe necessity of 4 providing complicated machines for this purpose and a considerable saving in the operators time will be effected and a general reduction in the cost of carrying out this special phase of business.

What I claim as my invention is:

In a device of the class described in which original and duplicator sheets are directed to the platen of a typewriter in continuous strip form, means for imparting a negative impression'to the duplicator sheet for use in subsequent duplicating operations as the original sheet is being typed, and means operable in unison with the typewriter carriage for supporting and guiding said sheets and said latter means, comprising a guide plate movable in unison with the typewriter carriage, said means for imparting the nega-.

ROBERT J. COPELAND. 

